1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates in general to a device for use in a pocketbook or card holder and in particular to a device for altering a card owner of a situation in which a card is missing from the pocketbook or card holder.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
In recent years, the use of credit cards, identification cards, and other cards has increased dramatically in the United States and around the world. It is not uncommon for an individual to carry at least five cards during daily activities. The term "card" used to refer to card such as, but not limited to, debit cards, bank credit cards, gasoline credit cards, merchant credit cards, identification cards, and the like. In carrying these cards, over the years, a number of different card case structures have been adapted to store a plurality of cards.
The use of cards has brought on a problem that periodically occurs to some card owners. Specifically, the problem is losing or inadvertently forgetting a card used in a transaction during daily activities. For example, when purchasing goods, a card owner may use a credit card or a debit card to transfer funds for payment. If the card owner forgets to retrieve his/her card and return it to the card holder after making a purchase transaction, the card is out of the owner's control. This occurrence may cause the card owner an inconvenience until the card is retrieved or returned. Even worse, the card may never return to the owner's possession and becomes lost or stolen. In addition, the card issuer must bear the immediate administrative cost of documenting the lost and stolen card. Eventually, this cost is past on to the card owner.
It is known in the prior art to provide a card case with an alarm system so that the card case's owner is notified or signalled when an attempt is made to return the card case to its storage position within the owner's pocket or purse without all the cards being present. One system is a mechanical interference system as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,369,585 and 3,648,832. U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,585 is a mechanical interference system involving a card carrying pocketbook containing a resiliently biased clip adapted to accept and forcibly, though removably, retain a single credit card therebetween. The intentional or inadvertent removal of a card from between the clip forces the folder into an open position to alert and continuously remind the owner that the card is absent from the pocketbook.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,832 is also a mechanical interference system involving a carrying case with a plurality of card holders pivotally mounted within the carrying case. Each card holder assumes one configuration when a card is not positioned therein and is deformed to a second configuration when a card is inserted in the card holder. An abutment means is provided in the case that obstructs any frame that does not have a card contained in the card holder, whereupon the card holder cannot be pivotally moved into the base or cover section of the case. As a result, the case cannot be closed. If all the card holders contain cards, the card holders assume a configuration allowing the case to be closed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,908 involves a credit card case adapted to store a stack of credit cards cooperating with an alarm system that incorporates a single credit card sensor for sensing the presence of all the cards in the card stack.
The prior art involves card holders with relatively complex alarm systems that are expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, they require the purchase of a new card holder rendering already purchased card holders useless. The prior art does not disclose a simple warning device for use in already existing credit card holders.
Therefore, it should be apparent that a device for alerting a card owner of a situation in which a card is missing from a card holder device and is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and/or may be easily incorporated into existing card holder devices is desirable.